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I’m the type of person who would rather (when i’m not particularly too tired) go home and cook an entire meal rather than buying or order in. An example being where I made this pineapple pizza on my instastory instead of buying. Reason being, it’s much healthier and you get to know and control what ingredients you are putting in your food.

I cant forget the first time I had chips masala because they were not the best honestly speaking. They were take away from some random cafe and you could tell there was little to no effort put on the chips masala because it tasted like the fries only got tossed in some masala mix and then served. That experience alone ruined chips masala for me until i decided earlier this year to make some at home and honestly I even surprised myself. My siblings and I enjoyed them and here’s to hoping you also love this recipe. Let’s get cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes

2 grated tomatoes

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves, thumb sized ginger (crushed)

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder or thumb size turmeric root (crushed)

1 bunch coriander leaves

1 tablespoon honey

Half lemon juice

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon cayenne

1 tablespoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

PROCESS:

Peel and wash your potatoes and chop them into fries. Heat up your vegetable oil in a deep frying pan until hot and proceed to fry your potatoes for five minutes or until well fried.

In a separate pan or sufuria, add up a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Next add your chopped onions, crushed ginger and garlic, turmeric, cumin and garam masala. Cook your spices on medium low heat for two to three minutes. be careful not to burn the garlic.

Next add your grated tomatoes immediately followed by the paprika, salt and black pepper. Stir and let the tomatoes cook for two minutes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, go in with your honey and lemon juice. Stir and then cover and let this simmer for three minutes on low heat. If the mixture is too dry for your liking, go ahead and a few teaspoons of water but don’t go overboard and create a soupy mess.

Go in with your coriander and proceed to stir the coriander in. Let this cook for a minute or two on low heat to let the coriander fragrance and taste blend in with that of the tomato mixture.

Finally, add your tomatoes in the masala mixture and toss everything together carefully not to mash your fries. Turn off the heat and proceed to serve. Enjoy!

I am currently loving peanut butter. Like reeeeally loving it. You may ask why now, but that was before I got over my dislike for peanuts.

I first made these pancakes as some sort of experiment and they turned out amazing. Since it was my first time making them, I made only a few for breakfast and soon enough everyone wanted more. This is most definitely making it to my list of favourite pancake recipes after my fluffy orange pancakes

Let’s get to cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 ripe banana

1 egg

1 cup of milk

PROCESS:

In a bowl mix all your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together thoroughly. Put that aside and in another separate bowl mash up your banana and peanut butter together.

Next, add your egg and whisk it before finally adding in your milk. By doing this, the peanut butter becomes light and easy to work into the pancake batter.

Pour your peanut butter mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until the pancake batter is smooth.

Once everything is well combined, heat your vegetable oil on a pan and cook your pancakes. You can always refer to my other pancake recipes to learn how to make the best pancakes.

Well, just like that, April is done. It was a wet and cold month that has everyone wondering when the rains would quit. I caught a cold and cough that would not stop and I had to take a break from blogging and focus on getting better first before creating new recipes to share with you guys. I am finally healthier and better and back to cooking.

One thing for sure is that I was craving a lot of spicy and deep fried foods when I was sick and it was during that time that I came up with this fish fingers recipe. With that said, let’s get cooking:

INGREDIENTS: (for marination)

3 medium sized fish fillet

2 cloves garlic

Thumb size of ginger

2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

(For the coating) :

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon black pepper

Breadcrumbs

Oregano flakes (optional)

Process:

In a shallow bowl, mix your marinade ingredients thoroughly then add in your fish fillet. Rub and massage the marinade in the fish and ensure that it’s evenly distributed. Cover your bowl and set aside, preferably in the refrigerator for not more than thirty minutes. This is because if you go for more than thirty minutes, the lemon will start to cook the fish.

After the marination is done, take out your fish and cut them into strips lengthwise.

Next up, dredge the fish in the flour mixture and coat them evenly. This will help in preserving the fish moisture.

Meanwhile, beat your two eggs in a separate bowl and add lemon juice from half a lemon. This added the extra tanginess that I was going for.

Dip your flour coated fish fillet in the egg mixture then proceed to coat them in your breadcrumbs. The eggs will act as glue and the breadcrumbs will add some extra crispiness. I added half a tablespoon of oregano flakes in my breadcrumb mixture and salt to give it that herby taste and season the breadcrumbs.

Heat up vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and once it’s hot enough (not to hot to avoid burning) add your fish fingers and fry for three minutes or until golden brown. Fish tends to cook fast and you also want to avoid burning up the breadcrumbs coating the fish.

Place your fried fish fillet on a kitchen towel or serviette then serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!LOVE, C&C.

It’s Friday afternoon and my phone says it’s currently nineteen degrees Celsius here in Nairobi. In no way I’m I thrilled about this current weather we are having. Just last month I was complaining about the heat and now it’s a whole different struggle.

The weather took its toll on me and I was not spared from the terrible cold but luckily I’m back and healthy and ready to get back in my element which is cooking and getting lost in the kitchen. I hope you are keeping warm wherever you are and here is a nice warm soup recipe to keep you cozy over the next cold days of March. Let’s get cooking :

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 slice of pumpkin

7 potatoes

2 carrots

3 cloves garlic

Thumb size ginger

1 red onion

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dhana jeera (1/2 coriander, 1/2 cumin)

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil or butter for cooking.

PROCESS:

wash and clean your pumpkin, potatoes and carrots then chop into small pieces. No need to be precise because we are going to blend this later on.

In a pot, add your oil/butter and your onions, garlic, ginger and carrots. Next add your turmeric and cayenne and cook for two minutes on medium high heat.

Next up add your potatoes and pumpkin. Proceed to season with paprika and cinnamon. Add your tomato paste too and stir until well combined. Add your salt and pepper and cook for a minute or two.

Add two cups of water into your pot or until the potatoes and pumpkin are completely under water. Be careful here. You don’t want to put too much water if you don’t want thin soup. You can always go back and add water if it’s not enough while it cooks. I went back with one more cup of water since it was running out in the pot and the potatoes were not yet soft.

Cover your pot and let this cook for five to seven minutes or until you can pierce the pumpkin or potatoes easily with a fork or knife.

Once cooked, set the pot aside and let it cool before blending since blending extremely hot foods is dangerous. You can as well skip the blending and eat your soup as it is but I love my soups blended. Once cooled, pour all of your pot contents into the blender and blend to your preferred consistency, whether smooth or chunky. I like mine extremely smooth and thick so that is how I blended mine.

Next, you can always go ahead and reheat it in the pot if it got too cold while cooling then serve.

Garnish your soup with pumpkin seeds and a small dollop of cream. Go ahead and be extra and add fresh coriander leaves and enjoy! Might I suggest, eat this in your bed and you’ll forget how cold it is outside.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is such a beautiful day where lovers get to appreciate and gift one another. Personally, I think Valentine’s should be everyday. Now, if you were busy like me on Wednesday, which happened to be Valentine’s Day, you are probably waiting for the weekend to celebrate. Chocolates and flowers are always the norm but why don’t you treat your loved ones or yourself with these delicious pancakes for breakfast before doing any other activities scheduled for the day. Trust me when I say, food is the greatest gift ever. Let’s get cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon (bright) red food colour

1 tablespoon sugar

Vegetable oil for cooking

PROCESS:

In a bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk your egg, milk an vanilla essence. Once combined, pour this into your dry ingredients.

Mix your pancake batter thoroughly and make sure that there are no lumps. It should have a yogurt like consistency. Have a look at this coconut pancake recipe where I show you how to make a perfect pancake.

Heat your oil on a cooking pan and once hot, (not too hot because this will burn the pancake fast before it cooks) add spoonfuls of your pancake batter and cook for three minutes each side on medium to low heat. Don’t use too much heat or cook one side for too long because the pancake will start to burn and lose the red colour.

Repeat step 4 until you have cooked all your pancake batter. next, serve your pancakes and you could drizzle a few spoons of your favorite yogurt and bananas for garnish. Enjoy!

When I came up with this recipe, I had chicken wings in mind. Fast forward to me and my friend at the supermarket walking around desperate looking for chicken wings. The guy at the meat section started looking at us weirdly probably wondering if we were ever going to buy anything. I had to settle for drumsticks and I’m glad I bought them because the recipe turned out so good.

Plums are literally everywhere right now in Nairobi and I had to get me some. Now, I’m not a fan of plums but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and incorporate them into my life. They go so well with different kinds of meat like pork and chicken hence this recipe was born. Let’s get cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

(for the marinade):

5 chicken drumsticks

1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 tablespoons of fresh or dried rosemary

1 tablespoon of fresh or dried thyme

1 tablespoon of dhana jeera or cumin powder. (I was out of cumin powder so this was a great substitute)

1 tablespoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder.

(for the coating):

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1 teaspoon of black pepper

(for the plum glaze):

15 plums (deseeded and blended/ grated)

1 red onion (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Thumb size ginger (finely chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste.

PROCESS:

In a clean airtight container, pour all of your marinade starting with the dry ingredients followed with the buttermilk. Mix thoroughly and add in your chicken drumsticks. Coat the drumsticks in the marinade and cover the container. Let your drumsticks marinate anywhere from 3-24 hours in the fridge. I marinated mine for 24 hours.

Once the marination is complete, remove your drumsticks from the marinade. Mix all of the coating ingredients in a bowl thoroughly and coat your drumsticks one by one. You can also double coat whereby, once you coat them, you shake of the excess, dip them in the marinade again, then back in the bowl for more coating.

Heat your cooking oil in a pan until hot enough for frying. Proceed to add in your drumsticks ensuring that you don’t crowd the pan. Overcrowding the pan will decrease the oil temperature and your drumsticks will boil in the oil instead of getting fried leading to a soggy chicken.

Once your drumsticks are crisp and fried, set them on a serviette or kitchen towel to cool while you work on your plum glaze.

In a pot or sufuria, add your onions, garlic, ginger, cayenne powder and fry them in oil until fragrant.

Once cooked, add in your plums and honey. Give it a quick stir on low heat.

Proceed to immediately follow with your soy sauce, salt and lemon juice. Stir the mixture and let it simmer on low heat for three minutes. Once it starts bubbling, increase the heat to medium high and let the glaze reduce to a thick consistency occasionally stirring for three minutes. You want Your glaze to be thick so that it sticks on your drumsticks.

Turn off the heat and allow the glaze to slightly cool. Next add in your drumsticks and coat them with the plum glaze.

I learnt how to cook spaghetti when I was around twelve years old. It was and still is one of our favorite to go meals at home and I’m always down to learn new ways to make it more tasty and delicious. Back then I would simply cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet and follow it up with a stew but since I’m a person who gets tired of cooking a dish the same way all the time, I have cooked my spaghetti using different recipes and this thyme and spaghetti has come through for me many times. Let’s get cooking:

INGREDIENTS:

100 grams of spaghetti

2 large grated/ blended tomatoes

1 bunch of coriander

thumb size of ginger (crushed)

3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1 bunch of spring onions (chopped)

1 red onion (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil for cooking

1 teaspoon of oregano. (when I was cooking I forgot about this so it is definitely optional)

PROCESS:

In a sufuria/ pot add water, a teaspoon of vegetable oil and salt and bring to a boil on heat. Once the water has boiled, add your spaghetti and cook following the directions written on the packet.

Once your spaghetti is cooked, turn of the heat and drain the excess water if there’s any left. Run cold water on your spaghetti immediately to stop them from cooking further. This also helps prevent them from sticking together.

Set your spaghetti aside and start working on the thyme and tomato sauce. In a separate pan, add your oil and add the crushed garlic and ginger, chopped red onion, thyme and cayenne powder. Cooking your spices in hot oil helps release their flavor by seeping into the oil that will be cooked into the foods. Let this cook for two-three minutes on medium heat being careful not to let it burn because you will have to start again.

Once the onions and garlic have cooked, add your grated tomatoes, chopped spring onions, tomato paste, turmeric, salt and paprika. Give it a quick stir then cover and cook the sauce on low heat for five minutes.

Once your sauce starts coming to a gentle boil, add in your chopped coriander, stir it into the sauce and cover for two more minutes. Next, add your cooked spaghetti into the sauce and slowly coat it with the thyme and tomato sauce by slowly stirring it on low heat. Ensure that the spaghetti is entirely coated.

Turn of your heat and serve your spaghetti while still hot. Use any leftover spring onions or coriander to garnish. Enjoy!